Be in this moment.
I’m guilty as hell for taking what I can, knowing this will only make us spiral into the unknown.
I move to straddle him then lie forward, our bodies tight and my head resting against his chest.
“Stone, well, this has been a twist to the night,” I comment mundanely for humor.
There’s that scoff from his lips that always weakens my knees. “Did you really think this wouldn’t happen?”
A smile begins to stretch on my mouth. “True. It’s just a little confronting.”
That’s when he cozies up to my body to flip me under him and be on his side, I have to smirk because he is about to unravel my thoughts the way he manages to do.
“You mean…” His finger caresses the spot just above my breast, and I refrain from looking at him. “You want us, but you’re not sure how we can make it work?”
My head bobs side to side. “Something like that. We established that I actually really enjoy your personality and the way we click, not to mention you’re not too shabby in bed either. So yeah, you nailed it before you nailed me. I’ve missed you, and I’m scared.”
“I’m a little wounded that you didn’t contact me before we saw one another, you knew it would happen.”
“I look for easy ways out, only to make it more complicated.” I give a weak fist pump in the air. “Yay, point for me,” I say, completely sarcastic.
Stone’s face skews for a second. “I’m not complaining, but why did you insist I took you bare?”
My eyes strike up to meet his. “I only want you closer, to feel you inside me a little longer… Call me selfish.”
His thumb travels up to my cheek and swirls my skin softly. “If you’re selfish, then it seems we meet eye to eye.”
“What the fuck now?” I growl yet can’t help but smile.
Stone slides out of bed stark naked, and we seem to swap roles as I grab the sheet and sit up in bed. “Now we eat.”
I laugh at his demand and sadden a bit when he throws on a robe from the bathroom. “Wine and dine. Look at us planning a future,” I tease.
He chuckles and turns on the TV and presses the room service button. “Ooh, ouch… apple à la mode is on the dessert menu. Looks like you need your knight in shining armor to save you from that.”
I roll my eyes at his humor. “A bottle of white wine and maybe some fries will suffice.”
“Sounds good.” He types in our order on the screen, and it should be a little bit before it arrives, but he notices the TV guide indicates that the evening highlights of today’s hockey games are on. His head tilts and his jaw slides side to side. Stone’s trying to keep the night between us, but it’s a struggle.
Grabbing a spare pillow next to me, I throw it at him. “Don’t need to have chivalry now. You can turn it on. Hockey is you. Just like green smoothies are me.”
Relief hits him, and he is as fast as the speed of light to change the channel and sit on the edge of the bed with great interest on the screen. “Ah, a woman after my own heart,” he mentions without turning his head.
Maybe it’s in jest, but why does my entire body wish and hope it’s true?
I want his heart.
Oh fuck, that internal war inside me is building again. A desire to fight for a future that seems difficult to achieve.
The thought I keep to myself as Stone groans and grins when the scores for various teams appear and a few major highlights are replayed. He grins when Vaughn, his brother, has to speak to the media about what the Spinners will do with a player who just got banned for two games in the middle of the playoffs. The brotherly affection for one another is always there on Stone’s face, and a text to his brother will happen in the next ten minutes.
Because Stone is a family man who will never leave them. Being near is part of his life.
Blowing out a breath, I bury the thought for tomorrow morning. “Since your brother’s team seems to have somehow won, does that mean you will come back to bed soon? This northern climate is shaking me to my bones.”
Stone looks over his shoulder, amused. “First off, it’s the end of April. Illinois weather has been warming up a bit.”
“It’s 55 degrees, with a prediction of tornadoes outside the city,” I deadpan.
